Shadow Slave

Sunny froze, unsure of what the wisest course of action would be.

'What to do, what to do…'

After meeting Solvane, he had a heavy prejudice against crossing paths with powerful figures of the Kingdom of Hope. And Noctis was very powerful — of that, he had no doubt. In fact, Sunny was pretty sure that the friendly young man who was looking at him with a charming smile was none other than one of the seven immortals shackles of the imprisoned daemon, the mysterious Lord of the East.

Even without taking into account the otherworldly presence that all Transcendents seemed to possess, it was easy to tell there was vast and dreadful power within Noctis, hiding behind the deceptively carefree gleam of his lustrous eyes.

Plus, there was a Citadel in the eastern reaches of the Chained Isles literally called the Sanctuary of Noctis… who else could have been the ruler there? Who else could have possessed the beautiful flying ship, and had their image put on the miraculous coins?

So, Sunny had no desire to meet the strange immortal, even though Noctis seemed weirdly friendly and unthreatening. Actually, that only made him more terrifying.

But…

Was there even a choice? It was not like Sunny was in any shape to escape from a Saint, let alone an immortal sorcerer that even Corrupted abominations seemed to be wary of.

He hesitated for a bit, then sighed, rose, and headed toward the crackling fire. Noticing that, Noctis hummed in satisfaction and then slightly moved his hand.

Immediately, droplets of dew flew from the grass, forming a clear stream that swirled around his body, washing the dry blood away. An exquisite silk cloak rose from the ground, wrapping itself around him. The diamond sickle whistled through the air, shaking itself clean, and hung itself on the sorcerer's belt.

Sunny continued walking, still clutching his aching chest, and observed the bizarre occurrence with a deadpan expression.

'Damn… why don't I know how to perform tricks like that? That would make life so much easier...'

the circle of light and couldn't help but tremble when the Saint threw a curious glance at him. It was hard to remain calm in front of a being that could obliterate you

body of someone who had never once exerted

brimming with ferocious might. He had twisting horns, four powerful arms, and a mouth full of sharp fangs, his eyes completely

of the

'...Ridiculous.'

demon in front

a fortuitous encounter. A shadow! Did fate guide you to

Sunny grew very still.

does

sorcerer, meanwhile, gestured for

are unwell. Rest for a bit and

the Transcendent. He gleaned at Noctis's soul to make sure that he was right to call the young man so, and saw a single resplendent core shining in his

a while, and

what is

stretched a hand forward and scratched two runes into one

Sorcerer's brows flew up.

gracious… now I am sad that I wasn't as studious as my mentors demanded, all that time ago. Those boring charlatans. Well, let's see… star? No, that should be "sun". Lost sun? Absence of sun…

nodded, causing Noctis to beam with a

Hope! The rumors are true… well, of course they are true, I'm the one who paid storytellers to spread them. In any case, Sunless, what a fitting name you have. Truly a name worthy of

tilted his head, staring at the

is this guy just eccentric,

it a great deal. He looked at the onyx

in his eyes slowly disappeared, making way for a strange,